Gerald Kean's white wedding to socialite Lisa Murphy is back on track.

Celebrity solicitor Kean says the wedding was never officially cancelled, adding that the couple simply stopped speaking to each other for an extended period of time.

"The wedding is back on -- but it was never off really," he told the Herald.

QUICKIE

"It was just at times we weren't talking, so it was kind of hard to get together and plan for a wedding in those circumstances."

They have yet to set a date, but Gerald says the whole affair could be a romantic rush down the aisle.

"We haven't set a date yet, but it could be next year. It could be very quick. We might run off to Cork and do a quickie." A sparkling engagement ring was notable absent from Lisa's finger as she attended the launch of Cannonball 2013 at Mondello race course.

But Gerald said they were definitely "hammering out a deal".

Speaking about their separation, Gerald said the pair simply needed some time to themselves.

"We're getting on great now. It was one of those things where you go through a dip sometimes and you need time."

The gregarious Cork man has recently recovered from a severe blood infection.

"I was seriously ill. I had streptococcaceae. I was told my time was up."

"The doctors told me, 'Prepare for the worst.' It was more serious than I thought."

Gerald fell ill after an insect bit his ankle while on holiday in Portugal. He spent three weeks recovering in a dependency unit in Blackrock Clinic.

"At one time I was on five antibiotics administered 13 times a day. I'm still recovering."

"It's been a huge impact on my body, but Lisa's been wonderful because I've been taking it easy."

Lisa found Gerald's illness a hugely upsetting time.

"When the doctors told me that he might be gone, the first thing that just came into my mind was his daughter," she said.

COLLAPSED

"How do you explain that to a 17-year-old? It was really, really scary. They couldn't even get a vein because all his veins had collapsed and he was actually saying to me, 'I'm not going to make it'.

"And I said to him, 'You've got to fight. You can't let go. You've got to fight'. I was there when he was really bad so I thought he was gone.

"It shows how much of a fighter he is. For God's sake, he's a solicitor. He's fighting his whole life for people."